Obama approval rating falls

Approval of President Barack Obama's handling of the US economy has fallen to a new low of 26%, according to a Gallup poll released on Wednesday in the aftermath of a bruising fight with Congress over federal spending.

Approval of President Barack Obama's handling of the US economy has fallen to a new low of 26%, according to a Gallup poll released on Wednesday in the aftermath of a bruising fight with Congress over federal spending.

Seventy-one percent of Americans said they disapproved of Obama's handling of the economy, up 11 percentage points from mid-May, when Gallup last questioned people about the issue. Approval of his handling of the economy fell by 11 percentage points from 37% in mid-May.

The president had similarly low approval ratings on other economic issues. Only 24% of Americans approved of Obama's handling of the federal budget deficit, while 29% approved of his efforts to create jobs.

The poll came two weeks after Congress and the president agreed on a deal to cut US federal spending following a bitter political struggle that took the government to the brink of a potential default.

The president's overall job approval rating among voters questioned August 11-14 was 41%, slightly lower than other polls conducted in August.